Sclerodermus domesticus

SPECIES: Sclerodermus domesticus ( order Hymenoptera )

COMMON NAME: Scleroderma

SIZE: strong resemblance to a small ant, narrow and elongated, length about 3-4 mm.

FEATURES: Females lack wings while the males are winged, but so rare as to suggest that reproduction happens normally by parthenogenesis, i.e. that the female reproduces, producing only females.

HABITAT: The Scleroderma is a parasite of insect larvae that live in wood, and particularly the common furniture woodworm. It is very common in homes in Venice, a little less so in Mestre and Lido.

DIET: The female penetrates into tunnels dug by woodworms in old furniture or roof beams, then stings the larvae with the stinger at the end of the abdomen, paralysing the larva with poison, and deposits her eggs: its own larvae find themselves inside the paralysed larva, which becomes their food source.

DAMAGE: The female, in her wanderings to find a wormhole where spawn, can be spotted on walls of rooms, on the curtains, on bed sheets, and on fabrics. In the absence of her usual prey, females can sting humans, both by day and night, usually repeatedly, in the limbs, chest and back. On the basis of a rich casuistry, the first reports of stings to humans appear in February and continue until late September. Maximum activity is in April-May. The bite causes reddish rather hard papules, which are large and persistently itchy. In addition to strong physical discomfort these Hymenoptera can cause, they can also produce psychological discomforts (psychosis from insects).

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